Review

An attraction to action

Action research in health and social care: a guide to practice
Elizabeth Hart and Meg Bond
Open University Press, 1995, £12.99

This is an excellent book which claims to be ‘a guide to practice’ and fulfils its promise. The first section brings a historical perspective, tracing how action research developed from Lewin’s early work in the 1940s to its current vogue in nursing and social research. The authors develop the theory of action research, show how it has been used and explore Lewin’s concept of a series of steps which formulate ideas and objectives. They emphasise that subsequent steps are dependent on evaluation of previous ones and should be modified in the light of experience. This model of goal setting, action, observation and evaluation mirrors the nursing care process, and helps to explain the popularity of action research among nurses. The authors discuss the criteria which differentiate action research from other methodologies. They make use of a typology to help clarify a ‘lack of precision’ in terminology.

Part one concludes with an excellent chapter detailing how action research is put into practice by developing a research proposal. The sponsor’s brief is presented and discussion on how the proposal was formed using their typology to go over the steps involved.

The second section is devoted to accounts of several studies undertaken using action research methods. These demonstrate the application of action research in a variety of settings to bring about improvements in service. Problems encountered in the field are discussed, showing that some projects, however well planned, can still fail.

The third section provides a ‘toolkit’ with practical advice about formulating research questions and strategy. The reader is introduced to self appraisal, evaluation and reflective diaries as means for taking a project forward. The authors explore how the problems associated with implementation of research findings can be resolved by using action research.

One criticism is that little attempt is made by the authors to explain the concepts of ‘new paradigm’ research to the inexperienced reader. Overall the book aims to be an exercise in ‘demystification of some of the research thinking processes’. The result is a textbook which will enhance the teaching of research methods in graduate